Board tabs Iowa-based firm for super search

Ray & Associates, a long-established executive search company, was the choice of the Salem-Keizer School Board on Tuesday as the search firm for the next superintendent.

Sandy Husk, the superintendent for about the last eight years, will leave the district in January to become the chief executive officer of AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), a San Diego-based nonprofit that helps high school graduates enter college.

This week’s meeting was the last regular board meeting for Husk. Chairperson Jim Green read a board resolution praising her for her accomplishments with the district, and a few members of the audience did the same.

The board accepted a staff recommendation to vote against a proposal to establish a Sequoia Montessori Charter School in the district. Board members stressed that they still would like to have such a school in the district whenever it meets certain standards of financial stability.

The board also asked Paul Dakopolos, district counsel, to seek rewriting of a Fair Dismissal Appeals Board decision for reinstating a district employee who had been fired for alleged failure to report a child abuse incident.

Green stressed that the board was not seeking dismissal of the employee – in fact, he said the district welcomed her back – but contended that the decision needed to be rewritten to be consistent with district procedures.

• Approved other personnel actions, including a contract for Rachel Cutter as a temporary part-time computer education teacher at Claggett Creek Middle School; full-time teaching contracts for Jeremy Lockwood as a sixth-grade English and social studies teacher at Whiteaker Middle School and Amber Brown as a fifth-grade English for speakers of other languages teacher at Weddle Elementary School; and the resignation of Lori Wyer from the position taken by Brown.

• Adopted grant budgets of $4,500 from local restrictive funds for a robotics team at West Salem High School and $1,628.85 from the Oregon Department of Education for special education and related services to students who have disabilities.

• Voted for an amendment to the Oregon School Boards Association Constitution to change election processes.

• Approved a right-of-way dedication for construction of road and sidewalk improvements at Walker Middle School.